Cognitive and personality peculiarities in children sluggish cognitive tempo and ADHD

Abstract

The article presents the review of data obtained by foreign investigators and concerning a set of symptoms united by the umbrella term “sluggish cognitive tempo” (SCT). At present this complex of symptoms is regarded as typical for children with either attention deficit without hyperactivity or as a subtype of attention deficit syndrome. ChildrenwithSCT often look inhibited, they tend to plunge into their own flow of thoughts and imaginations during the work, feel drowsiness in day time.Accordingtotheempiricaldata the decrease in information processing speed, sustained attention and selective attention are typical for this category of children. A number of studies also indicatein them the deficit of visual information processing and a lack of some components regulating the executive function. A number of studies disclose the expressed inclination of children with SCT to anxiety and depressive disorders as well as to poor social contacts and maladaptation. There exists a hypothesisthat a significant deficit of motivation is typical for children with this kind of impairment. Yet, the diagnostic status of this symptom group as well as itsneuro-cognitive and emotion-personality peculiarities haven’t been found so far and need further investigating.

Keywords

• ADHD
• children with sluggish cognitive tempo
• attention disorders
• selective attention
• sustained attention
• information processing speed
• processing of visual information
• executive functions
• depressive disorder
• anxiety disorder
• communicative skills
• social competence
• social adaptation